Cromartie's apparent claim? The bottle slipped

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on November 23, 2009, 1:37 PM EDT

Additional facts are trickling in regarding the person who allegedly was hit, to use the technical term, “upside the head” with a bottle of champagne on Sunday night, after the Chargers’ 32-3 win over the Broncos.

Um, usually when a bottle slips out of someone’s hand, it falls down to the floor. It doesn’t fly through the air, unless the guy who does the batting stances is using the bottle as a prop, and he has just eaten popcorn.

Meanwhile, a headline in the La Jolla Light (via SportsByBrooks) declares that Cromartie has been arrested, even though the article says that no arrests were made and that Cromartie is merely under investigation.

Wow, first a football expert, now a detective with an advanced degree in physics! What a renaissance man. You know, unless you understand that someone dancing around in celebration could perhaps be swinging their arms back and forth and if the bottle slipped at the wrong time, it could, in fact travel in a direction other than directly at the floor. Ah, damn that logic man, go on with your Inspector Gadget-self.

RexRyan'sStressedLapband says:Nov 23, 2009 1:50 PM

Meanwhile, a headline in the La Jolla Light (via SportsByBrooks) declares that Cromartie has been arrested, even though the article says that no arrests were made and that Cromartie is merely under investigation.
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Riiiiiight, and we never find any mistakes here on good ole PFT. What, exactly, is the point of this last paragraph???

Twiz says:Nov 23, 2009 1:52 PM

I guess Lord Florio has never been to any type of celebration where champagne bottles are routinely shaken and sprayed all over the place.
Not saying it is what happened, but merely a possibility refuting what Florio claims that “usually, when a bottle slips out of someone’s hand, it falls to the floor. It doesn’t fly thru the air……..”

AlanSaysYo says:Nov 23, 2009 1:54 PM

The bottle clearly had a right to the airspace it occupied, and only an idiot would have moved his head into said space.

texasPHINSfan says:Nov 23, 2009 1:55 PM

you know, as much as people might want it to be, throwing a bottle in the air and it accidentally hitting someone on the head isn’t “assault with a deadly weapon.”
sorry, media.
blow it out of proportion if you want, but it’s just careless celebration. not assault. a hearty handshake and a “i’m sorry” should be enough to put this one to bed, but thanks to our legal system, i bet you’ll see a civil suit for six figures.
:rolleyes:

Vikefanman says:Nov 23, 2009 2:00 PM

Merriman was cleared of these charges when witnesses told police that it has been a long time since Merriman HIT anyone! (Well other then Tila)

goetta-head says:Nov 23, 2009 2:06 PM

When you shake a bottle of champagne you tend to do a to and fro jerking motion. Which would completely account for the bottle going into the air. Depending of course on whether it was the to or the fro.

Hauschild says:Nov 23, 2009 2:14 PM

Classic.
This should serve to educate all bleeding hearts that money has nothing to do with making people happy. So, quit peddling the bullshit.

troll_aikman8 says:Nov 23, 2009 2:14 PM

What’s a millionaire football player doing in Pacific Beach anyway? Nobody over age 22 should be partying in PB. That’s just as embarrassing as having a bottle “slip” out and blast someone in the face.

BenRapistberger says:Nov 23, 2009 2:18 PM

Let’s take a step back. Even if this is remotely close to truth, what type of jury is going to believe beyond a reasonable doubt that Cromartie wound up a bottle of champagne and threw it at someone’s head, instead of it slipping through his hands like most footballs have this year. I mean let’s be honest, the guy’s hands clearly aren’t what they used to be.

zygi milf says:Nov 23, 2009 2:19 PM

texasPHINSfan says:
November 23, 2009 1:55 PM
you know, as much as people might want it to be, throwing a bottle in the air and it accidentally hitting someone on the head isn’t “assault with a deadly weapon.”
sorry, media.
blow it out of proportion if you want, but it’s just careless celebration. not assault. a hearty handshake and a “i’m sorry” should be enough to put this one to bed, but thanks to our legal system, i bet you’ll see a civil suit for six figures.
:rolleyes:
************
Oh really? :rolleyes:
Just ask the guy who tossed the bottle (quite accurately) at official Armen Terzian at old Metropolitan Stadium during the Cowboys-Vikings playoff game where Terzian blatantly kept the flag in his pocket when Drew Pearson pushed off on Nate Wright.
The guy who threw the empty Jack Daniels bottle was prosecuted.

jkorn1818 says:Nov 23, 2009 2:28 PM

I hope he doesn’t drop his bottle of champagne in the prison showers.
Chargers are the first team in NFL history to celebrate a week 11 victory spraying champagne around.
In other news Ladanian Tomlinson just got arrested from throwing a can of chunky soup at someones head after celebrating a week 11 win.

DJSlyBri says:Nov 23, 2009 2:29 PM

I love this quote from his agent:“This is absolutely not a story. Antonio didn’t throw the bottle. There were actually three other players involved. Antonio is at a complex working out.
I love how he tried to slip that in there so people would think he wasn’t even there to begin with. Heck, the first time I read it I thought his agent was denying Cromartie was even there.

Bell63 says:Nov 23, 2009 2:39 PM

you know, as much as people might want it to be, throwing a bottle in the air and it accidentally hitting someone on the head isn’t “assault with a deadly weapon.”
sorry, media.
Uh.. Can you kill someone by hitting them over the head with a bottle?

pubobby2004 says:Nov 23, 2009 2:42 PM

does it really matter why the bottle went into the air? i guess it would show intent… but are you not still responsible for your actions? maybe try just sitting down and pouring a drink from the bottle like a normal member of society.

RaiderChile says:Nov 23, 2009 2:45 PM

The Dolts have major character issues. At least to beat the crap outta the Donkeys, hee haw.

pubobby2004 says:Nov 23, 2009 3:10 PM

i assume the dolts are supposed to be the Colts… but who are the donkeys?

texasPHINSfan says:Nov 23, 2009 4:03 PM

if a bottle is a deadly weapon, then anything can be a deadly weapon.
yes, you can throw a bottle hard enough and kill somebody. you could also beat someone to death with a computer keyboard. need better differentiation between what is actually a “deadly weapon” versus what can be used to kill. given that they have an effect on sentencing, it does make a difference.

JSpicoli says:Nov 23, 2009 4:07 PM

I’d love to read these stories if it was a Raider DB involved, or if Al was dancing around flipping people off. There would be a congressional inquiry, or mediots demanding one.

CanadianVikingFan says:Nov 23, 2009 4:27 PM

Typical. San Diego is no different from Oakland, they are all thugs who will stab a baby just because they can.

cleanface says:Nov 23, 2009 4:44 PM

If the bottle slips you must acquit.

FlyIgglesFly says:Nov 23, 2009 5:01 PM

Why the hell are they celebrating with champagne anyway? They won a game – not the Super Bowl.

peruano88 says:Nov 23, 2009 7:42 PM

hey CanadianVikingFan, you and the Vikings planning on having anymore boat parties? vikings fans should not be talking down about other teams when they aren’t the cleanest team, as they’ve shown recently…

pdxbolt4life says:Nov 25, 2009 12:17 AM

@raiderchile……are you seriously calling out another team about character issues?? Start the top of your organization if you’re confused and work your way down….shouldn’t take more than a couple days or so.